You Rang, M'Lord?

I grew up watching this series. It has a cult status in my family. Without a shadow of doubt, this is the best comic series ever. The casting is perfect and the acting superb. The story and its layers are simply amazing; I could watch each episode hundred times over and I would still enjoy it as much as I did the first time and notice something new, something I hadn't noticed before. I wish the series lasted 30 years instead of just 3. I have bought the DVD of the first season and plan to buy the rest of the series too.

The thing that puzzles me most is the fact that this series is not as well know as Dad's Army, Only fools and horses or Blackadder. The BBC conducted a poll back in 2004 to find out what is considered to be the best Britain's sitcom and You rang m'lord is not even in the first 100 series. One can't help but wondering how this could be. I am simply astonished.

My early memories of You Rang M'Lord are pretty hazy (I was only small when it was first shown) but I have very fond memories of it. I managed to catch it again when I was fifteen and I still remembered some scenes (the way Madge Cartwright's maid Rose squeaks "Oh, Mr. Teddy!", Mrs. Lipton throwing everything in sight at Alf Stokes and the bit where Lady Lavender throws six tapioca puddings at Ivy are three that really stuck in my mind). I really wish it was repeated more often, as - for instance - Dad's Army is in the UK. As I think an earlier reviewer said, it paints a fantastic picture of society in the twenties and the way in which it was changing at the time. The characterisation is great - Stokes as the scheming butler, Henry who always seems to get hit round the head with something or by someone, Lord Meldrum as the adulterous (presumably widowed) head of the house. A great series that should be seen by anyone who gets the chance.

I possess about 96% of this series, or should I say these series on VHS and am awaiting the day they will be available on DVD. This was an excellent comedy series which seems to have fallen into oblivion. Some of the actors starred in "It Ain't Half Hot Mum ", another excellent series set in British India ! This series examines the relationships between the servant staff and the occupying family of an upper class British Household during the 1920's. What is good about it is that each character is extremely well analyzed and developed and when you follow the series from one episode to the next, their is a rigid consistency in the way each of the characters behaves. What is good is that the satire concerns everyone, it is not an anti-upper-class satire, the humbler characters are portrayed to be just as scheming and below-the-belt as the aristocratic ones. Of course I sympathize with poor old Mabel who is treated like dirt by the other servants who for some reason consider her below their level to partake of the same food as themselves ! Also I found extremely annoying the policeman who turns up every time in the kitchen to scrounge tea and cake - in fact the servants probably come out of this with a worse image than the aristocrats - sure Poppy is a spoiled brat and is always leading James on, but he himself has a kind of inverted snobbery or obsequiousness. Paul Shane's character (head butler) is also extremely dislike-able ( for me ) as he represents typical working-class-with-a-chip-on-their-shoulder but I found the character of his daughter Ivy absolutely adorable and found Henry incredibly funny with his off the cuff remarks as I did Teddy with his cravings for servant girls. Sir Ralph's character can also get annoying at times and it's a bit of a shame that Lord Meldrum has a soft spot for his wife as she seems to be more of a slut than anything else; Each episode is very well crafted and provides many moments of laughter, quiproquo, an insight into relations between "upstairs and downstairs" plus the inclusion of a number of external influences ( Barbara Windsor, for example, as Shane's false wife ). I am very fond of Donald Hewlett as an actor and his character is that I prefer in this series.

The series is typically English humour, I am not sure whether it could be appreciated by foreign audiences as some prior knowledge of the English class system is necessary - but once you get into it and become familiar with each of the characters - you cannot do without it ! I am hopeful that one day this will get round to being issued on DVD, such is the scarcity of good comedy in the UK nowadays, we need to re-edit these oldies on DVD to provide ourselves with some hours of pleasure.

This is one of my all time favourite TV shows and has been forever. I loved it when it first aired when I was a little girl and at 25 I am thrilled that (a) it is now being repeated on UKTV Drama, and thanks (b) to that the show is being released on DVD in January 2006. While the triple treat of Paul Shane, Jeffry Holland and Su Pollard are value for money as always, the beauty of this series is that everyone is so well cast and that even the smaller more minor roles were still a dream for any Actor to play. Michael Knowles is fabulous as Uncle Teddy and Lady Lavender steals every scene she is in. However, even though she was a little Cat (to use a favourite phase of the series) my favourite character was always Miss. Poppy, fantastically played by Susie Brann, because it was nice to see an Actress play a character who wasn't always sweetness and light. Granted, Ivy is sweet and gentle, but Miss Poppy seems a lot more fun. Am I the only person who was disappointed that she didn't end up with her beloved James Twelvetrees??? (I know - I need to get a life. Ha Ha!!!) A jewel in the British comedy crown. Two thumbs up.

Without doubt this show is the magnum opus of Perry and Croft, it's 26 episodes enchant and beguile like no other show. Set between the wars in one of London's great houses, it follows the life of Lord Meldrum, his family and their servants. Every facet of this show extols the virtues of the cast, set designers, and writers to perfection. Few shows have ever captured the feel of an era better, capturing as it does the styles, social issues and morals of the transitional era that followed the reign of Victoria. The extraordinary attention to detail at all levels involves one entirely, this mated with a superb script which supports all the visual magic, leaves only the actors to make the best of it all. This they do with extraordinary finesse and believability, one can completely empathize with each character and have sympathy with each role. The show is actually a serial, but with each episode featuring a vignette, it is episodic as well. It is impossible to define any one actor as being a lead as each role attaches itself seamlessly to the story, to create a gorgeous sense of flow and continuity, it is involving, poignant and immensely funny. The troupe consists of many regular players from David Croft's "stable", but in no other show are they better used. The cast and crew are detailed in the body of the IMDb page, but a must mention are the almost background parts played by Perry Benson, Barbara New and Mavis Pugh, as Henry, Mabel and Lady Lavender respectively. Between them, they inject a positively brilliant series of almost surreal comedic asides all through the series, and they add to its charm and depth immeasurably. One could go on and on about all the virtues of this show, but in conclusion, I honestly think that this wonderful story is the absolute epitome of British TV comedy, the like of which, is unlikely to be seen again, it is a work of quality, passion and genius at every level. If you get a chance to see it, you must.